Northern Lights activities

This classic winter activity is fabulous fun for kids and adults alike. Multi-day husky tours will teach you how to harness and drive your own team of dogs, as well as feed and settle them in a different spot each night. Shorter trails provide a fascinating introduction to sledding, with the silence of the snowy forests broken only by the swish of the sled runners. Reindeers play a pivotal role in Arctic life – youngsters will enjoy Santa-style sleigh rides, and visits to reindeer farms reveal fascinating insights into native Sami culture, as you discover how their life is intertwined with that of the reindeer. Reindeer and husky safaris are common things to do on holiday in Scandinavia, check with your tour company if you would like to try sledding in Iceland or Alaska.

From scientific explanations of charged particles, to ancient myths about sprinting foxes, the more you know about the Northern Lights, the more you’ll be able to appreciate them. There are many educational centres located around the aurora zone. Finland’s Aurora Kota has aurora projections, astronomy talks and local storytelling, while Reykjavik’s Northern Lights Center has an aurora experience room, interactive displays and tips on nighttime photography. Science fans can take a day trip to the Esrange Space Center in Northern Sweden, which gathers information from its rockets and balloons. Visitors to Fairbanks should stop by the sound and light installation at the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North, and Norway’s Tromsø University Museum also has Northern Lights displays.